Yikes to this thread...
IMO, good on Chloe. Trail blazer.
I disagree it's purely publicity stunt, but whatever, it's not my hill to die on and I'd rather agree to disagree with others and move on with life and just see how things unfold.
Some posters are more mad that a female was drafted in the 13th round of the WHL than if an imaginary male was drafted with that 13th round pick.
It's one thing to wish her well and have concern that she might get injured and hope that there's a way to keep her safe without changing the way we play. That is valid IMO. But feigning an attitude of trying to keep her safe by hinting she should be restricted from playing at all in this league is BS. The greatest concerns for injury are basically illegal anyways. Perhaps if Chloe is involved in one of these illegal plays, it might shine some light on you "white knights" and help to clean up the toxic masculinity that many posters agree is rife in hockey culture. Worst case scenario, she plays, doesn't do great, most of you don't care, life goes on. Maybe her career is destroyed by a bad hit and some of you are right in that regards, but honestly, no one likes a know it all.
But maybe, just maybe, standing on that stage will be something positive in her life. This in the same way that some guys I've met who only played a single NHL game talk about it with a smile rather than consider themselves a failure like some arm chair GMs on different sites. Some people know they are limited but consider that pushing the ceiling of expectation a worthy pursuit. Chloe is likely on such a path, so good on her. Her idea of success might not be to dominate the WHL, but to purely enjoy reaching that stage and seeing if she survive at that level. Perhaps she hopes to pave the way for other women who love hockey to have a path to continue on at a high level.
I believe that women's hockey at the highest level barely exceeds/exceeded the training facilities, ice time and coaching of most beer leagues. IMO this is perhaps a reason why we don't see many women teams do well against young men who are likely coached and trained with superior tools from a younger age. Perhaps we might see higher end women talent if they are developed with higher level training and facilities. We won't know until someone like Chloe gives it a try. This is an extension of what Wickenheiser did in the Finnish league, but if you read the interviews, there were significant barriers to Wickenheiser succeeding there and I'm not purely talking about the on ice usage and being targeted by opposition. Hopefully Chloe has less of those barriers (language, home sickness, less family support in a foreign country etc.) and have a better chance of doing well.
The opposing comment about Chloe's ability to dominate is pretty BS as well. She will have to claw her way up and earn her stripes through adversity. Many other young men face adversity and do not make it to the top either. Her path right now is a totally new one for women. It does not mean she is guaranteed to have any form of success at the WHL. But women in general should be given a chance to start somewhere. Even if Chloe fails, other young women can look at her journey, learn lessons from her, improve and aim to hit a higher target than where she finishes off in the future.
It doesn't matter what side of the issue you stand on. You have your opinion and honestly speaking, most people do not give a F what your opinion is whether you support her or not. So let's go back to the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
I won't pretend that I will keep close tabs on Chloe's career, but I'll definitely look her up on occasion and see what has transpired from time to time.
I wish Chloe the best and I hope she reaches her goal, whatever that maybe.
